Auto & Car Blog

Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, USA

While it’s true that we have posted before about extraordinary performances turned in by the batteries of Altairnano before, in light of the recent claim by AFS Trinity that lithium ion batteries in a plug-in hybrid could only achieve 25,000 miles (unless the energy was buffered by ultracapacititors as it is in the AFS design), we thought you might particularly enjoy hearing about a recent test conducted by other entities. The utility company Southern California Edison (SCE) has been putting a battery from Johnson Controls-Saft through its paces for some two and a half years now and have just released some of their results thus far. Simulating the conditions that might be experienced within a light commercial van, the utility has so far racked up 180,000 miles on the pack with minimal deterioration. The results were positive enough for the Department of Energy (DOE) to throw down for a full size battery to test whether it would be suitable for a passenger car. Since it was stated in AFS Trinity’s press release that CEO Edward Furia was unaware of the existence of such a durable lithium ion battery, we respectfully suggest he call up SCE for confirmation.

[Source: Canadian Driver]

Lithium ion battery easily achieves 180,000 miles in testing originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Mercedes Benz

A week after Mercedes-Benz announced details of its first hybrid, battery supplier Continental Automotive has launched production of the battery packs. Mercedes will be the first manufacturer to mass produce a hybrid vehicles with lithium ion batteries. Continental spent €3 million to build the battery manufacturing facility in Nuremberg. The first batteries that being produced weigh 55 lbs and have a volume of just under 0.5 cu. ft. When the Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid launches in mid-2009 with this 120V battery pack it will be installed in the engine compartment in place of the standard 12V lead acid battery.

Since this is the first mass market automotive application of a lithium battery, Mercedes and Continental are being extra careful. The battery is designed to last a minimum of 10 years and 100,000-150,000 miles so Continental has developed a sophisticated monitoring system to make sure that it operates within normal operating parameters. Each individual cell is monitored to keeps loads balanced and ensure even charging and discharging. Continental had to develop special processes to weld the copper bus bars that act as cell interconnects. The whole battery is enclosed inside of a laser-welded stainless steel case. The initial production capacity of the factory is 15,000 units a year and that can easily be doubled.

[Source: Continental]

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep

Along with all the photos of its new battery-powered vehicles, Chrysler yesterday also provided some video footage. The clips after the jump include Chrysler VP for ENVI, Lou Rhodes, discussing the electric vehicle program, and running footage of the Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep EVs. There isn’t much new here but you might want to see these vehicles in action, silently humming along as they do their business. Although Chrysler has made some bold claims, it will be interesting to see which if any of these ever make it to mass production. The Jeep in particular is interesting because if Chrysler can build a commercially viable Jeep EV it could also presage a similar RAM.

Related:

• Officially, official: Chrysler’s late 2010 electric vehicle lineup!
• Specs on Chrysler’s new EV lineup, bigger batteries than the Volt
• GEM changes name to GreenEcoMobility, plans new vehicles
• Chrysler execs talk about new electric vehicles

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading VIDEO: Chrysler’s new EVs in action

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep

Now that we’ve had some time to find the spec sheet for Chrysler’s new EVs on the company’s media site and then perusing it, we can answer some of the questions that initially came to mind from the press release. You might have noticed that Chrysler is claiming the same 40-mile electric range for its T&C and Wrangler ER-EVs that GM claims for the Chevy Volt. And yet GM had to completely redesign the car to minimize drag in order to achieve that range. How is Chrysler doing it with a brick shaped Jeep and a maxi-sized minivan? Why, more batteries of course. The Volt is spec’ed out with a 16 kWh battery pack. The Chrysler uses a nearly fifty percent larger 22 kWh pack while the Jeep goes all the way to 27 kWh. The Jeep actually has a larger pack than the Dodge/Lotus sports car which only has a 26 kWh pack. That raises both questions and answers. At 26 kWh, it only takes 4 hours to charge from a 220V / 30A outlet. That kind of charge time with a Tesla Roadster is only available with an 80A outlet. The question is how do they get the 150-200 mile range with a pack roughly have the size of the 53 kWh unit used by Tesla? You can read the full spec sheet here.

[Source: Chrysler]

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in

My friend Lou Ann Hammond sat down with Don Hillebrand of the Argonne National Lab following last week’s unveiling of the Chevy Volt. Argonne has developed some very promising lithium ion battery chemistry. The work done at Argonne is funded in large part by the U.S. Department of Energy, which can be translated as taxpayer dollars. It’s nothing unusual for governments to fund basic research or for the results of that research to be licensed to private companies for commercialization. However, in other countries, that technology is usually targeted at domestic companies for commercialization. Here in the U.S. however, there is no preference given. In fact, it turns out technology developed here is often licensed to companies from elsewhere. In the case of the electrodes developed at Argonne, a license went to Toda Kogyo, a Japanese battery manufacturer. Toda is planning to manufacture batteries in Canada, using technology our tax dollars paid to develop. Is this a wise use of our money? If no U.S. company is willing to step up and use the products of our research, it should at least be used by someone. The fundamental problem is not that foreign companies are licensing our technology, but that Americans apparently don’t have the foresight to do so. Apparently, they feel it’s wiser to focus on services than actually producing tangible products. That strategy seems to be working so well in today’s economy, so why not continue?

[Source: CarList]

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Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Manufacturing/Plants, GM, USA

Although they haven’t told us who yet, GM has chosen the battery supplier for the upcoming Chevy Volt (above). Still, whether it is LG Chem or A123 that gets the Volt contract, it seems that the General may need more batteries than the chosen one can deliver. The company is, after all, planning more vehicles based on the Volt-type architecture and might also want to move to lithium ion chemistry for its old school hybrids since the NiMH batteries from Cobasys has been less than reliable. Even though some battery companies out there are looking for more business GM doesn’t want to have to depend on foreign companies or distant production facilities for its power packs. At least that seemed the message the Wall Street Journal seemed to get from recent trips to Washington by Detroit execs.

So what’s the solution? Perhaps the number one Detroit automaker is going to take it upon itself to build its own batteries. Although it hasn’t made any public announcements to that effect it does seem they are soliciting a new employee who’s job-to-be description includes, “Manufacturing Engineering lead for the creation of a battery manufacturing plant assembly process and first implementation execution.” The recent listing on the Linked In website placed by GM calls for a candidate with an MS mechanical, electrical or chemical engineering and many other advanced qualifications to be a lithium ion battery Engineering Group Manager (EGM). Regardless of the scope of GM’s battery-making ambitions, if you, or if someone you know, is seeking a sweet full time tech job with a well-established American manufacturing company and have, among other things, an “ability to deal with ambiguity where clear solutions are unknown,” then give it a shot.

[Source: Linked In]

Continue reading GM to build their own batteries, seeks new employee

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet, GM

Few companies manage to stay in business for 100 years, but for the second time this decade (Ford reached the milestone in 2003) an American-based automaker has hit that threshold. Tuesday marks the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of General Motors with a celebration at its world headquarters in Detroit. Automobile Magazine’s Don Sherman takes a look at GM and it’s chances for future success with electrified vehicles in the New York Times. With a price tag that has crept upward by 30 percent from the original target, and styling that departs significantly from the highly-regarded 2007 concept, the chances for success of the Volt are being increasingly questioned. The need for aerodynamic efficiency has left many feeling that the sporty vision we saw last year has morphed into another Prius clone. Sherman quotes several industry observers who doubt that lithium batteries will be able to meet the vehicle lifespan requirements that are needed and they may well turn out to be right. At this point it’s simply too early to tell. GM is conducting accelerated durability testing, but until they have years of use in the real world, we simply won’t know if the models are accurate enough. Meanwhile, stick with us on Tuesday morning when we bring you live coverage of the official reveal of the Volt production design from Detroit.

Related:

• BREAKING: Is this the production Chevy Volt in Transformers 2?
• EPA vs the Chevy Volt: Hybrid or electric car? 48mpg or 100mpg?
• Production Chevy Volt photos leak out!

[Source: New York Times]

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, USA

With the rise of hybrid and electric cars, advances in battery technology have become increasingly important and so it is pleasing to hear of new companies whose products have promising properties. Such is the case with Planar Energy Devices which has just signed a licensing deal with Policell Technologies Inc. that will enable the company to incorporate a nano-tech-derived separator film in its large format PowerBlade lithium ion battery. The separator film in a battery separates the anode (where the current enters) and cathode (where the current exits) and this one has some special qualities that prevents thermal runaway which could result in a battery fire. The spec sheet (PDF) for the PowerBlade has some pretty impressive numbers including 220Wh/kg of energy density. That’s enough to cruise in a Tesla Roadster for over 400 miles instead of its current 244 mile range.

Planar Energy Devices was spun out of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) last year and is targeting the consumer electronics and automotive markets. While they have so far only produced a few batteries for potential customers to try out, their facilities in Orlando are capable of some manufacturing capacity and their goal is to eventually do just that. Company CEO Scott Faris says, “Planar is committed to pursuing strategies for cost-effective domestic manufacturing. We recognize that the ability to design and build world-class batteries from the United States is not only possible, but also desirable if we are to achieve energy independence as we move toward an electrical energy driven economy.” Sounds good to us! Get all the details in the press release after the break.

[Source: Planar Energy Devices]

Continue reading Planar Energy Devices plans to produce PowerBlade advanced battery in U.S.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in

Canadian battery developer Electrovaya has reached an agreement with Norway’s Miljobil Grenland to supply energy storage systems. Miljobil Grenland has been manufacturing electrically driven vehicles since 1997 and is partly owned by utilities Skagerak Energi and Norsk Hydro. As part of the deal, Electrovaya will get an equity stake in the car maker. The batteries will be based on Electrovaya’s SuperPolymer lithium ion technology. SuperPolymer is a battery construction technique that isn’t dependent on a particular chemistry. Thus, it’s compatible with different electrode materials for different applications. So far there is no word on when the car might appear or where it will be available.

[Source: Electrovaya]

Continue reading Electrovaya to supply batteries to Norwegian EV maker

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Manufacturing/Plants, Japan, USA

Although Japanese battery makers currently have plans to greatly expand their production capacity at home, it seems this still isn’t enough and America seems to be the destination of choice for some new manufacturing plants. One of the companies planning on creating some green-collar jobs in the U.S. is GS Yuasa Corp. Their president, Makoto Yoda said, “Named must your fear be before banish it you can. We have to choose our next factory’s location based on growth in the given market.” While not a household brand name for most Americans, GS Yuasa’s automotive partner, Mitsubishi, is sure to ring a bell. They are using lithium ion batteries from GS Yuasa in their all-electric i MiEV which is soon to be tested in California. Although they have not yet committed to selling this car stateside, this announcement is sure to raise hopes.

Another company with American battery factory plans is Toyota. Having already announced plans to build Priuses in Mississippi in 2010, the world’s biggest automaker believes manufacturing batteries here will help them achieve their cost reduction goals. Toyota has been able to reduce it’s per vehicle cost by 50 percent since its first-gen Prius and hopes to halve those costs again in their next-gen. Of the decision company vice chairman Kazuo Okamoto said, “It is very difficult to make the main parts of batteries outside Japan, but we have to have battery production in North America,” No time table for the plants were given but when they arrive we think they will help provide both employment and environmental wins for America.

[Source: Bloomberg / Reuters]

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid

On Monday September 1, SB Li Motive Co. officially went into business with the goal of producing automotive grade lithium ion batteries by 2011. The company is a joint venture between Bosch and Samsung SDI. Samsung SDI already has experience with consumer electronics batteries and Bosch will work with the Korean company to develop batteries suitable for hybrid and electric vehicles. Bosch is already producing electric drive motors that will be used in the new Mercedes-BMW mild hybrid system that launches in 2009. Getting into the battery business will give the German supplier a product to replace systems like fuel injection and exhaust after-treatment that will eventually be supplanted in the migration to electrically driven vehicles.

[Source: Bosch]

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Filed under: Green, Tech, Nissan

Just-Auto is reporting that Nissan has approached electronics giant NEC to work on new lithium-ion batteries together. This would certainly help Nissan in its goal to add more hybrid and fuel cell cars, as well as an all-electric within three years.

As you may recall, Nissan has been borrowing its hybrid technology from Toyota and announced that it would like to do an in-house hybrid in the near future. Next came the announcement that a plug-in would be on its way in the next three years. This partnership between NEC and Nissan would cover the development, production and marketing of the batteries. It looks like a joint venture factory will also open sometime in 2010. In the rush to take advantage of new breakthroughs in battery technology, cozying up to NEC seems like a particularly shrewd move for this Japanese automaker.

[Source: Just-Auto, sub req]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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